Timothée Chalamet takes to social media, sharing the first look in costume as the eccentric chocolate factory owner Willy Wonka for the upcoming Wonka prequel film. Wonka will be directed by Paul King, who is known for his work on the critically acclaimed children's films Paddington and Paddington 2. The film stars Chalamet in the titular role, singing and dancing as Warner Bros. has confirmed the film will explore Willy Wonka's early years before he meets the Oompa Loompas and becomes the well-known eccentric owner of the famous chocolate factory.
Chalamet shared on his social media on Sunday afternoon his character in full costume, hinting that his portrayal will be closely related to Gene Wilder's 1971 version. Chalamet's maturity as an actor mixed with his boyish mannerisms seem to be a perfect fit for Willy Wonka, as there are high hopes the acclaimed young actor will surely bring an exciting new approach to this character that wasn't seen in both Gene Wilder's or Johnny Depp's portrayals.
Chalamet, who will be starring in Denis Villeneuve's upcoming Dune epic, Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch, and Adam McKay's star-studded Don't Look Up, had his major breakthrough in 2017's Call Me By Your Name, for which he received his first Oscar nomination at the age of just 22. The young actor would go on to star in other critically acclaimed films like Beautiful Boy, Greta Gerwig's Oscar-Winning period piece Little Women, and the epic war film The King. Chalamet also recently wrapped filming on the upcoming romance-horror film Bones & All, reuniting with director Luca Guadagnino.
All that is known about Wonka is that it will be the first entry in Roald Dahl's cinematic universe featuring well-known characters. King will be co-writing alongside Paddington 2's Simon Farnaby, while Paddington and Harry Potter's David Heyman will serve as producer. The prequel began principal photography on September 29th in London.
Joining Chalamet in the exciting adventure includes Key & Peele's Keegan-Michael Key (worked alongside Jordan Peele (now known for his directing work on films like Get Out and Us), Mr. Bean's Rowan Atkinson, The Crown and The Favourite's Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (who was recently cast in the MCU's upcoming Secret Invasion series), The Shape of Water's Sally Hawkins, other cast Paddington and Paddington 2 alumni cast members such as Simoon Farnaby, Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Mathew Baynton, Jim Carter, and Rich Fulcher.
Wonka is set to release in theaters on March 7, 2023.
Source: Timothée Chalamet|Instagram